They Grew Up in a Tree
by infinitebooks13
Summary: After a treehouse is built in the Jackson's backyard Percy and Annabeth practically spend all their time there. The treehouse is the place of first kisses, jealousy, comfort, and waterballoon fights.


Sally Jackson balances the giggling three year old on her hip a plate of cookies in her unoccupied hand. Using her elbow she pressed the doorbell hearing the echoing 'ding dong' echo through the house. Suddenly the door was swung open to a women in the doorway. She had her long black hair swept up into a ponytail and unsettling grey eyes that analyzed the woman on her doorstep.

Sally offered her a kind smile, "Hello I am Sally Jackson and this is my son Percy," she said inclining her head to the boy in her arms, "I just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood!" The other woman smiled making her fierce grey eyes soften, "Oh thank you! My name is Athena. Yes we just moved a couple days ago and this is my daughter Annabeth."  
Sally hadn't noticed the young girl with wild blonde curls poking her head around from her mother's legs. Annabeth eyed the young boy who looked to be around her age. The boy noticed her and smiled waving a small hand at the young girl. Shocked she dashed back behind the security of Athena's legs. Then slowly peeping her eyes out she waved softly at the boy. The mothers noticed the exchange and smiled.  
This was the start of friendship.

After this meeting the two families grew close and soon a tree house was being built in the Jackson's back yard, constructed by Frederick Chase and Poseidon Jackson. It was built on a large oak tree with sprawling limbs reaching out to the sky. The tree house had windows on all sides with a deck and railing that wrapped around the main room. It had a rope ladder that hung through a trap door all the way down to the green lawn below. It was amazing.  
As the last nail was hammered in the men stood back to admire their work.  
Poseidon smiled, "Well that should work."

Frederick nodded massaging his left shoulder, "Well I hope so. C'mon let's go show off shall we?"  
They turned back inside into the Jackson's house finding their wives chatting in the kitchen. Percy and Annabeth were at the table coloring cartoon characters from Nemo. Annabeth frowned at Percy's messy drawing; blue scribbles going way out of the lines and covering nearly the entire page.

"Percy, Nemo isn't blue," she said.  
"So? I like blue and so does Nemo," he stated as though this was a fairly obvious fact.  
"Nuh uh," Annabeth argued.

"Yes huh."  
"No."

"Umm yeah."

"I don't think so."

"Oh yeah? Well I do, so there Anniebeth," Percy stated confidently. He was so sure that he was going to be right this time.

"No Per-," she was cut off by her father and frowned.

"Hey kidlits, come here we have something to show you," Fredrick called to the duo at the table. The women stood smiling, beckoning them forward.

Excited at this prospect they rushed outside abandoning their artwork. They stopped with slack jaws before the huge tree. In it there was positively one of the _coolest _things they had seen in their full six years of life. Looks of amazement graced their faces, eyes wide.

The parents smiled at their kids looks on their faces. Sally leaned up to place a kiss on Posiedon's jaw, smiling as he called out to the kids, "Well are you just going to stand there or what?"

Before they could take off though Sally insisted on a picture, "Oh come on just one picture," she said amused by the disgruntled looks on the children's and men's faces.

Eventually the husbands hoisted Percy and Annabeth onto their shoulders. Fredrick and Annabeth's golden hair was lit like a halo around their heads from the dying afternoon sun. Poseidon and Percy's bright sea green eyes stood out sparkling with a certain kind of happy and a troublemaker grin gracing their mouths.

'Click.'

Percy and Annabeth are seven.

The treehouse no longer had any bare walls. They were covered in Annabeth's drawings of buildings and maps of the world. Percy's blue Nemo pictures were also up there along with other doodles he had deemed 'just too amazingly awesome' that they had to go on there.

Annabeth and Percy practically lived there spending their free time pretending that it was a pirate's ship and drawing treasure maps while yelling, "Aye! Ye must walk the plank!" And poking each other with sticks, wielding them like real scabbards. The tree house also became a secret hideout for planning battle strategies (usually made by Annabeth) like how to sneak through the kitchen and snag some of Sally's cookies without being caught.

But as the duo got older life got harder by the time they were nine it wasn't a pirate ship anymore, instead it was a sanctuary for Annabeth from all the fighting and angry words at her house. Now Athena and Frederick fought a lot more creating a porupt household that Annabeth wanted nothing to do with. She often found herself running out the back door and through the fence into the Jackson's backyard and then to the confines of the tree house.

Percy might have been oblivious but he wasn't stupid. He knew that something was wrong with the household next to his and was worried about Annabeth. He frequently looked out his window at the treehouse searching for the soft yellow light coming from the treehouse that meant Annabeth was there. When he found the light he would grab a huge blanket and grab a bag of blue cookies before climbing up the ladder.

They would sit across from each other on top of the fluffy blanket with cookies in between them. Annabeth would rub frustrated at the tear tracks on her cheeks and Percy would pretend not to see even though he still reached across holding onto her hand. These nights would turn into sleepovers either in the treehouse or at Percy's house.

The next year Frederick was divorced and Athena lived in a different house.

However getting older wasn't always so depressing. One day Annabeth came home briefly saying hello to her father that was knee deep with work before going to meet Percy in their treehouse. Percy was already there his feet resting on the wall the rest of his body sprawled across the floor. He was humming to himself tapping his fingertips on the worn wood beneath him. He turned his head as he heard the all too familiar creek of the door in the floor, Annabeth's curly blonde hair poking out.

"Hey Wise Girl," he said lazily.

"Hey yourself Seaweed Brain," she said coming next to him copying his position. The ten year olds lay side by side before Percy looked over at her finding her biting her bottom lip a scrunched line in between her eyebrows. He lifted himself up resting on his elbows before questioning her, "What are you thinking?"

"How did you know I was thinking?" she asked looking up at his sea green eyes just as bright as the first time she met him if not brighter.

He laughed, "When are you not?"

She humphed crossing her arms into a pillow behind her head. "I was just thinking that well ya know Thaila?" she said not waiting for his answer. He nodded anyway in confusion. "Well, she said that she kissed Luke yesterday and when I said that that was gross and weird, _she_ said that I'm weird because pretty much everyone had kissed or had been kissed by someone. Perce _you _haven't though right?"

"Nope. Why does what Thalia think matter anyways though?" he asked confused at his best friends actions.

She shrugged, "It doesn't really I guess, but I was just wondering what was so great about it since everyone has done it before."

Percy frowned, "Yeah, I guess."

"And well I was thinking," she sat up criss cross and blushed before forging on, "well since you haven't kissed or been kissed before and neither have I, then maybe... why don't we just kiss each other?"

Percy was _really _confused now. She thinks that _they _should kiss each other? He sat up to frowning a little bit thinking. "Well, I mean I _guess_ Annabeth." Besides he was kinda curious too.

"Okay," she said scooting a little closer, "Ummm... on the count of three okay?"

Percy swallowed and nodded his face already turning fire truck red. "Okay."

"One," they said together leaning in a little bit closer.

"Two," they squeezed their eyes shut waiting for three.

"Three," they leaned in all the way. For about five seconds their lips brushed each other's a warm, weird tingling feeling tickling their lips. Percy's eyes shot open as did Annabeth's, green on grey.

Percy shook his head, "Thalia was wrong, kissing _is_ weird."

Annabeth rubbed her lips, "Definitely."

Annabeth and Percy are in middle school and are turning fourteen, soon to be high schoolers.

Today a councilor from the high school came to talk to them about setting up their schedule for high school and picking out their classes. It kind of scares them. The prospect of being at the bottom of the food chain again with college looming just over the horizon seems frightening and overwhelming.

As usual they meet up in their treehouse the floorboards slightly creeking under their weight. Soft summer breezes waft through the open windows, green leaves from above casting a slight greenish glow across the walls and their old drawings. Now they have beanbags up there from a summer's worth of lemonade stands, one blue, one lavender.

Percy flops down on the blue one his legs reaching out and sprawling over the lavender one too. He has a granola bar in one hand, a gummy worm sticking out between his lips, with a Doritos chip bag by his side. He just wants to eat _all the time_. Annabeth calls him a pig before collapsing by him shoving him over to make room for two, their bodies mushed together. He cries out indignantly at her insult pouting as she also plucks his bag of gummy worms off his chest. She rolls her eyes and pulls out a book.

"Hey Annabeth," Percy says softly looking down at his pretty best friend. Her princess curls have calmed down some and are tied up in its usual messy ponytail. Her long tan legs overlap his, grey eyes flicking across the pages of the novel she clutches in her hands.

"Hmmm?" she asks flipping the page.

"What do you think high school is going to be like?" Annabeth marks her page putting her book down. She looks up at her best friend a spark of curiosity twisting in her stormy eyes. "Ya know, because some people say it was the best years of their lives but, then others say that they wouldn't go back if you paid them. And then the freaking counselors are already talking about _colleges_ and I can't even decide if Scooby-Doo or Spongebob fruit snacks are better!" Percy gestures wildly with his hands before looking down at Annabeth's somewhat amused and serious expression.

Annabeth nodded, "I know right? I mean it just seems like it's going _way _too fast. I mean like just yesterday we were snagging cookies from Sally and pretending to be pirates. And now, now we are choosing what classes to take to get into a good college and having to figure out how you're gonna represent yourself as an individual and how to be _yourself_."

"Growing up isn't all that great as it's made out to be I guess," Percy said using one arms as a pillow for his head.

"Well, I mean it can't be _that _horrible. In high school you get a lot more freedom and a chance to do what you want to do," Annabeth said looking at the benefits of moving on in life.

"Yeah but still..." Percy trailed off. He wasn't really ready to grow up. He didn't want to really leave behind what was familiar and plunge head first into the new.

"But I don't want to grow up," Annabeth finished for him. They were so in sync by now they seemed to read each others minds. They were both somewhat afraid of the unknown, and the responsibility, and heartbreak that was in front of them.

"Percy, I don't want to grow up," she admitted more confidently, but quietly, looking into his familiar green eyes.

"Me neither. Annabeth, lets just not grow up together," he said twisting one of her blonde curls around his finger unable to resist.

She smiled and agreed, "Okay."

They lay like that for a while legs overlapping, sides aligned, Percy playing with Annabeth's hair as she read her book. This was normal Percy and Annabeth, not growing up together, still best friends.

Percy and Annabeth are still not growing up, but now they are 15.

Freshmen year wasn't so bad, but it was the reason the treehouse became a study room. Percy refused to go to the library because it was too quiet so Annabeth relented, spending hours studying in the treehouse with Percy. Some nights Percy woke up to find him and Annabeth still up in the treehouse at 4:00 in the morning. Paper strewn around the floor miscellaneous textbooks adding to the mix. Annabeth was leaned up against the wall Percy's head in her lap a book on his chest from trying to tackle his English homework. When he found themselves like this he would set the alarm for the school, and lay Annabeth on a pillow so her neck wouldn't hurt as bad tomorrow, before tugging a blanket over them and passing out again.

Sally had stopped worrying so much about them, but would still go check on them regardless. Besides she thought they were rather adorable and would tease her son about not asking Annabeth out yet. He would blush and shake his head sometimes yelling out an indigent, "Mom!" Sally would shake head and think, "Boys..."

When Annabeth and Percy turned sixteen they learned _quite a bit _about jealousy.

Annabeth didn't even bother to say hello her dad, he wasn't there anyways. She stomped angrily across her yard and the Jackson's to the tree house. She doesn't even know why she's upset anyways, she didn't even like him that much. She just went on the Goddamn date so her other girl friends would quit pestering her about the male gender. Besides she liked someone else although it didn't help that he was oblivious as hell.

She slouched into her beanbag before turning on some music and pulling out a book trying to drown out her own thoughts. After several times of reading the same page over and over again without actually comprehending the words she put it down. She groaned and began hitting her head against the wall behind her.

"You know if you keep doing that I won't be able to call you Wise Girl anymore right?"

Annabeth jumped hitting her by accident really hard on the wall. "Holy Hera Percy don't _do _that. You scared the crap out of me," she complained rubbing the back of her head.

"My bad," her best friend said before joining her in his respective bean bag.

She thwacked his arm before going back to staring out the window aimlessly trying to keep all the thoughts in her head from exploding. All these feelings were like a whirlwind in her mind spinning around and confusing the living hell out of her.

"Hey you okay Beth? How did your _date_ go?" Percy asked with concern, but nearly grounding out the word date like it was a swear word. Percy didn't approve of Jake and thought he was an asshole. Percy also really _liked _his best friend and the thought of her with someone else made him _jealous_. He wasn't really going to deny it now. She was just constantly on his mind and he started to think about how her lips would taste and the way "_Annabeth's my girlfriend_" would roll of his tongue. So in short he really did not want Jake any where near his best friend _at all_.

Annabeth shook her head, "Lets just say it didn't go well."

Percy scowled, "What did he do," he said as more of a statement. He _just knew_ that that asshole did something.

"Well first of all, he didn't even show up," she said a bite to her words.

"That _asshole _Annabeth I'm going to..." his angry words were cut off by Annabeth waving dismissively at him.

"No you're not going to do anything except for watch Disney movies with me on the iPad and eat junk food."

"But Annabeth..." he whined. He really just wanted to punch him in the face and even though Percy was normally a very passive person he wanted to do something to prove that _nobody _touches his best friend.

"Hey it's fine. Besides I didn't like him anyways," she said with finality. She looked up at him amused by his disgruntled expression and suddenly wanted to reach up and smooth out the lines in his forehead.

Soon they were lying curled up on the beanbags with blankets and dozens of pillows. Junk food was scattered in piles around the duo. Annabeth shamelessly had her head resting on Percy's broad shoulder her arm across his stomach. He didn't mind and played with her hair, his eyes glued to the screen. Propped up on his legs rested the iPad the soft glow of the screen illuminating their faces.

Suddenly Percy's phone went off and he frowned digging it out of the blankets. It was a text from Calypso one of the girls that went to their school and found Percy attractive (although as oblivious as he was he didn't know that). Percy clicked it off not really wanting to talk to her right now. Then halfway through the movie it went off again. His eyes flicked to the screen. It was Rachel this time asking him if he wanted to go to an art festival. Percy clicked it off again resolving to text her back tomorrow. Almost as soon as he put it down though it went off _again_. The name Sadie was in big black letters on the top of the screen. Percy groaned, _how did she even get his number? _Annabeth also thought that the incessant 'ping' coming from his phone was quite annoying. He was her rather cute best friend that she couldn't help have a crush on. It seemed the other girls at school thought so to and quite obviously flirted with him in the hallways. Annabeth was jealous even though she had really had no reason to. He was with her now, not with them. He had inside jokes and nicknames with her, not them.

"Peeeerce..." she said looking up him. His unruly hair was even messier and she wanted to tangle her fingers in it but snapped her eyes back to the screen before she actually did.

He sighed and muted the volume on his phone, tossing it into the sea of blankets.

Slowly her eyelids began to droop his heartbeat lulling her to sleep. His eyes eventually drifted shut falling asleep to Annabeth's calm breathing and the movie _Nemo _playing in the background.

Annabeth and Percy are seventeen.

The summer months were always pure bliss, no school which _thank the gods _meant no homework. Annabeth was holed up in the treehouse waiting for just the perfect moment. She had two buckets full of water balloons that she had filled up and hauled _all the freaking way up there._ Now all she had to do was wait for an unsuspecting Seaweed Brain. She pulled her long blonde hair off the sweaty nape of her neck, tugging it into a messy ponytail. Tapping her fingers on the wooden railing she hummed until, _there_. Percy unlatched the sliding glass door, sliding it open and stepping outside. He ran a hand through his black that was in dire need of a haircut. It was rather suspicious though because he kept his right hand behind his back as if he was hiding something. Annabeth ducked behind the bars grabbing a water balloon.

"Wise Girl!" he called his bright green eyes twinkling as if to say, '_I know something you don't know_.'

He looked around the yard keeping whatever was behind his back hidden. Then he started walking towards the treehouse before stopping and glancing around the yard, his eyes analyzing all the nooks and crannies before turning his gaze suspiciously towards the tree house. '_Come on just a little closer_," Annabeth thought biting her lip. Still keeping his eyes on the tree house he slowly walked forehead.

He was in range. "FIRE!" she yelled letting water balloon after balloon rain down on him.

Letting out a _very _manly shriek of terror he rolled behind his mother's wheelbarrow pulling the object out from behind his back. It was the biggest super soaker water gun Annabeth had ever seen. Turns out said water gun can shoot up _really high _and _very far_. It hit her full in the face and letting out a yelp she ducked back down again loading up on ammo. Percy ninja-rolled across the yard to the trash cans like big dork he is, and grabbed the lid off of one. Using it as a shield he advanced forwards his wet mop of wild hair sticking out the top. Annabeth snatched a lid of a bucket and stood up chucking balloons at her best friend. Just at the right moment he peaked from behind the shield and she nailed him right in the face. Letting down her guard (bad idea on her part) she danced her victory dance adding a few fist pumps to the sky. Percy thought she looked rather adorable up their in her dark blue tank top dancing, but then again she _did _hit him in face so he didn't feel too sorry about what he was about to do. He aimed and squeezed the trigger hitting her smack in the stomach soaking her. Her dance stopped abruptly and she turned a murderous gaze on him. '_Whoops_," he thought before turning tail to the garden hose.

"Percy get back here so I can kick your ass!" she yelled grabbing an arm of balloons climbing down the ladder to the yard.

"Never!" he cackled filling up his extreme super soaker.

Annabeth inched down the fence making sure his back was turned to her. "Hey Perce!" she called laughing at the shocked look on his face from her being so close to him. His mouth opened in shock before having enough common sense to shield his face with his arms. She unloaded her amo onto him grinning when he was left dripping wet. He turned and looked at her looking positively insulted. His expression made her laugh and soon she had her arms wrapped around her waist tears streaming down her face, her body shaking from laughter. Percy shook his head and ran at her reaching out to grab her waist. With quick reflexes though she turned and sprinted to her safe haven: the treehouse.

Climbing up the ladder she ran to the deck looking out see where her attacker was. Little did she know he was right behind her with the last balloon in hand. His sneak attack probably would have worked if the old wood hadn't of groaned beneath him. She spun around catching his wrist above her head, seconds before he dropped it.

She tried to push it back to him, towards his head but he was stronger. He almost had the balloon over her head, but there was still one escape plan. Annabeth always had a plan. She leaned into him and looked up at him through her lashes. She tilted her head and stood on her tiptoes so their lips were level. Moving her lips so they were barely touching, half on his half on his cheek she whispered, "You're not really going to that are you Perce?" I know seducing is bad but when a girl's gotta win a girl's gotta win.

His body tensed and the water balloon fell from his hands falling to the wood at their feet. Annabeth stepped back from him, shining a winning smile. The sound of it breaking broke him from his reverie. "That was mean Beth," he growled stepping forward until her back hit the railing and their chests were touching. His hands gripped her by the waist pulling them even closer.

"Oh?" she said breathily shocked by how close they were. I mean, yeah they had been close before, but not like this. Not with the same intentions and _feelings_.

He ducked his head and nuzzled her neck his lips moving against her skin in the most distracting way, "Yeah. You should be ashamed of yourself." Then his hands slid from her waist as if he was going to move back.

Annabeth wasn't about ready to let that happen. Maybe it was because she had too much pride and refused to let him leave her there breathless, letting him know the effect he had on her. Maybe it was because it was about time that they had a _proper _kiss, not like one they shared when they were ten. Maybe it was purely because of those Goddamn teenage hormones. However for whatever reason Annabeth hooked her fingers through his belt loops, pulling their bodies flush against each other. She moved to his hand putting them back on her waist and then trailed her fingers up to tangle in the curls at the nape of his neck.

"I don't think so," she said in a hushed voice looking up into the eyes she had known since as long as she could remember. The green was churning with swells of blue and were already staring at her. Annabeth broke eye contact her eyes flicking down to his lips.

He grinned a lopsided smile. "Oh really?" he said in the same hushed tone brushing his forehead against hers.

"Really," she said before closing the space between them her eyes fluttering shut.

His hand trailed up her back tangling in her hair as hers tugged on his hair pulling him closer.

It only seemed right that their first _real kiss_ was in the treehouse. Their treehouse.

Percy and Annabeth are eighteen and graduating from high school.

They were voted the cutest couple and everyone saw it coming. Even when they weren't dating they still looked like it. Annabeth was the Valedictorian and delivered a beautiful speech without a hitch. Percy managed to get all A's and B's on his report card (thanks to Annabeth).

The afternoon just seemed kinda surreal to the duo. It was like their life had been put on fast forward when all they wanted to do was go back and rewind. There were too many hugs and too many tears. The end to their high school career had come to an end and they weren't sure what to make of it. Twelve years of their life had come down to one scroll of paper all neatly rolled and tied with a blue ribbon.

After the ceremony they both climbed into Sally's car, Annabeth planning on having dinner with her parents later that night.

Before they could change out their gowns, Sally ushered them to the backyard. Pulling out a camera she made them pose in front of the treehouse where so much of their lives had surrounded. Percy smiled his troublemaker grin his black hair as messy as ever. He had his arms wrapped securely around his best friend's waist, in one hand he held a scroll and his graduation cap. Annabeth's long curls cascaded over her shoulders, her pearly smile happy and carefree. They had their heads tilted towards each other eyes green on grey the treehouse in the background. The walls still had Percy's faded pictures and Annabeth's architecture designs and maps of the world. The wood was older and the rope swing had lost its color it once had. Same kids, same treehouse.

'Click.'

_Fin~_


End file.
